Art for ALL !!!

For many years I thought of "Art" as some lofty, expensive, only for the rich, only produced by famous "Art-ist" types, something unattainable for most. A bit of a sad thought really. 😟

When I started playing with paint I refused to call myself an artist at all and it's still hard for me to believe that I've only been painting about 18 months.  Last week I sold my 5th painting and I suppose I shall have to relent on being called an artists, although most days I still don't feel like one. 😕 Yes, it is self-doubt and impostor syndrome I suppose, but in truth aside from the paintings I've sold almost 100 wire tree sculptures and at least 50 pieces of chainmaille in the last 4 years, so. . . I guess I just need to "own it".

So I've been thinking about an "Art for ALL" approach, lowering my prices and doing miniatures and trying to make "art" more accessible for those that don't have a mansion to hold a 12 foot painting or thousands of dollars to pay for frivolous things.  For those that want something special and unique not the same $20 print from which ever store that thousands of people already have, but something one of a kind and handmade but still affordable, still attainable. 

I know this is a crazy approach to art, it's a crazy approach to business, but I'm not in it for the money.  😇  I like making things and I like it when other people appreciate the things I make, it really is that simple. 

new style, new art. . .

I have been busy for weeks, creating, making, listing lots of stuff. 😉  I made a batch of small wire trees because I realized my binder was down to only a couple of full pages. 

I've been painting regularly and still trying new styles and techniques and ideas.

I've even made some new chainmaille. I had a message question about a necklace in the infinity knot pattern, it didn't turn into a custom order as there was no follow through but it did get me thinking of all of the patterns of chain I can make that is one that there is no necklace sample of. 😏  So I sat down and got busy with the rings and made 2. ~LOL~ The infinity knot pattern can be done in different ways so I made one with "8-ring" knots and one with "10-ring" knots, they also have slightly different colors. 😎

All this busy busy work means that I have finally broken the 200 listing mark, which at one time I never thought would happen. That's the good news, the bad news is I have 20 new paintings to photograph and get listed, so busy busy back to work. 😇

slow going. . .

The adding art listings to the etsy shop is a slow process for me and rather frustrating if I'm honest. 😕  Photography is not among my strongest skills, and some of these paintings are particularly challenging. 

Oh don't get me wrong, I love painting and I generally love the art I create (with a few exceptions) but between the metallic paints, the iridescent mixer and the gloss varnish finishes it is VERY hard to get clear, color accurate, good photos to make listings. 😣

I like to use all 10 photo slots when creating a listing and often in order to get 10 good use-able photos I end up taking dozens of each painting.  Yesterday I photographed 3 paintings, took over 80 photos and by the time I deleted the fuzzy, mis-focused, off colored, badly shadowed, etc. I only ended up creating 2 listings this morning.  This is a recurring thing for me sadly. 

I just keep trying and if I take enough photos eventually I end up with use-able photos or at least passable photos. 😏

Listing art on Etsy . . .

Since I started painting again I have not listed any of the new art on my etsy shop RainbowMaille I need to, I want to but I have been limited by a computer issue.  However, my laptop is now fixed ~yay~ and I do plan to start the process of photographing and listing, although, not today as it's rainy and grey and the lighting sucks. 😔  I am not sure if I will actually list all of the new art as I don't even like all of them myself, but you never know maybe someone else will really like the ones I don't.  😏  

In the meantime I still have to continue to make and list wire trees and fresh chainmaille too. I'm feeling a bit scattered and unfocused.

Mental. . .yes I am

To me a blank canvas is both exciting and frightening. I guess exhilarating would be a good word, as one never knows what will appear.  I know many artists that have a set style, they have formal training and there is a certain similarity, continuity to their works. I have no formal training and I have noticed that the more I try to plan what a piece will look like the less I like the finished product. 😕  I cannot make two things alike and the harder I try the worse the result.

 So setting a blank new canvas on the easel is always a bit scary.😨  Will I like what I make? Will I f*ck it all up?  Will anyone else like it when it's done?  Honestly, I never know these answers going in. I paint mostly on instinct and emotion, I think that's why when I try to plan or achieve a certain thing I overthink and it just ruins it.  It's so weird. ~LOL~  

After not painting for 9 months I started again and I decided to try something I have never done before. The very first piece was striking and amazing and actually caused me tears of joy. Then I started overthinking and didn't like the second attempt, the third has a nice look but it is nothing like the first of the series. 😫 As a matter of fact it was 8 canvases later before I hit one that is truly similar to the first of the series, there is no continuity it is a progressive series.  Looking at them I can see the thought process from the first one to the ones that followed, and I think that thinking is my downfall. 😵

The more I "try" the less I like them.  So I guess I have to just go back to not thinking and work from instinct and emotion. 😉

the joy of art. . .

When I first took up painting it was just for fun, a bit a of a lark really, just something I always wanted to try, a curiosity thing.  One day I spotted a going out of business sign on an art store window and went in just to look around, again just basically curiosity.  I found this portable fold-able easel and it was just so marked down and I had the money so. . .I bought it just because I could. 😏

When we were living in New York I started playing with paints. I have no formal training, nothing past basic art classes in junior high and high school so I was learning by doing just swirling paint on canvas until I liked the way it looked. 😄  It was fun. I didn't really take it too seriously, but I posted a few photos and they got really positive response so after a lot of mental debate I decided to list some in my etsy and lo and behold a couple sold. I was shocked, thrilled but shocked. 😇 Life stuff happened and we ended up packing up and moving across country. It wasn't a happy move exactly, the company we hired subcontracted out to some half ass people who damaged and lost a lot of our stuff.  It's was a depression trigger and I didn't unpack everything, specifically I didn't unpack my painting stuff for months.  The other day I decided to go ahead and unpack and set up my easel.

I got out a canvas and decided to try painting again. My first piece back I decided to try something different, when it was done and I looked at it drying I actually cried tears of joy.    

I didn't realize how much joy painting added to my life, I didn't realize just how much I missed it.  I am so glad I finally unpacked, it feels great to be painting again. 

New things, Research and development. . .

I found barrette blank bases at the craft store and decided to make some chainmaille hair accessories.  😍  I spent several hours on several days testing different combinations of chain patterns in different sized rings to find ones that fit just so on the clips.  Research and development, it's a process. 😄

I really wanted the chainmaille segments to just fit on the clips so I wouldn't have to use any kind of glue or anything when mounting the chain to the clips just rings.  😏 

I have succeeded for the most part. 😉 I have found several combinations that work really well but I have decided against using certain patterns/combos that don't fit so well.  I know many chain patterns but I will not be making barrettes with all of them because some of them I just don't like the way the chain lays and some of them don't fit the clips and I don't want to use glue all the time. 

So far I have only used glue on 1 and although it worked well and I do like the finished piece, I would prefer not to become reliant on adhesives for the attachment.  I don't know if I trust glue. 😖

This triple flower is the only one with glue, the center just wanted to droop, I just couldn't get it to fit tight enough to stay where I wanted it.  😩  So I used some adhesive to make it stay where I wanted and just put rings on the ends as reinforcement. 😊

All of the styles in this blog post are listed for sale in the shop.